Of Heart and Blood
by Golden-Flute
Summary: While Katara and Zuko wait for Aang and the others to return from their battles after the comet, they begin to learn more about each other. One-shot, no slash, can be whatever ship you want it to be, I left it open.


Title: Of Heart and Blood

By: Golden-Flute

Summary: While Katara and Zuko wait for Aang and the others to return from their battles after the comet, they begin to learn more about each other. One-shot, no slash.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Avatar: The Last Airbender and all its characters belong to Mike, Bryan, Nickeldeon and Viacom, respectively.

--

Katara looked up at the darkening sky from her spot sitting on the top step of the courtyard staircase. The striking red color streaked across the clouds, caused by the natural glow of Sozin's Comet. It cast an angry hue all around Katara that seemed to affect her emotions. She should be happy, she knew it. She and Zuko had just defeated Azula. But their small victory could not hide the fact that there was a large group of people still missing from their surrogate family.

Where were Sokka, Suki and Toph? How long did it normally take to stop an air navy fleet? Maybe they arrived too late and couldn't stop the giant airships. Katara couldn't lie to herself; those airships were huge. There were probably a dozen of them and Sokka, Suki and Toph were three people. This thought made Katara's stomach clench with worry. Were they okay? Even if they had missed the fleet, it wouldn't take this long to get to the palace from the launching point that Piandao had pointed out to them on the map, especially with a giant eel-hound to ride on.

Katara ruled out the idea that they had been successful. If they had been, they would also have been here by now. Unless they went to find Aang.

Aang.

Where was he? Katara looked at the comet. It was nearing the horizon, almost gone, almost about to disappear for another hundred years. It also signified the ending of Aang's prophetic battle with Ozai. A battle that might not even have happened.

Katara impatiently rose from her seat on the top step and started descended them, taking the steps in two's and three's. She became aware of the angry, low grunts from the corner where Azula still sat, chained to the ground. Azula had ended her fiery tantrum and was now resorting to wriggling around, trying to get her wrists loose of the chains Katara had placed around them. Even if Aang and the others returned unsuccessful, Azula was done, out of the picture and that was one heavy weight off of all their shoulders. She was too out of her mind, too crazy to be of any further help to anyone.

Katara chanced a look at the defeated princess and found Azula glaring back at her, her hair and shorn bangs in a flyaway frenzy around her face completing the look of total insanity.

"Katara?" she heard Zuko call and she broke her eye contact with Azula to glance back at where Zuko was limping down the stairs, wincing as each step jarred the fresh wound on his stomach, an angry red star-shaped burn. As he reached the bottom step, he stopped and looked up at the sky as Katara and Azula did the same. The color had changed dramatically all around them, to the soft blue of nighttime. The comet was gone.

"Where are you going?" Zuko directed his attention back to Katara.

"To find Appa," she explained in a hardened voice that almost dared Zuko to object. "I'm going to find Aang and Sokka."

"Okay," Zuko said, limping over to her, aiming flames at each of the torches hanging off of the outdoor walls as he went, lighting the courtyard, "Appa's just outside, let's go."

From this comment, two fresh questions popped into Katara's head. Before she had a chance to decide which one was more important to ask, she blurted them both out, "There are guards everywhere, why did you leave Appa outside? And who said you're coming with me?"

Zuko smiled and answered patiently, "There aren't any guards, Azula banished them all. Not a very wise move on your part," he added in a louder voice, turning his head towards Azula. She growled at him and spat fire in his direction. No longer fueled by the power of the comet, it didn't even reach him. Zuko grimaced and then looked back to Katara, "As for your second question, Aang and Sokka are my friends too. I'm just as worried about them as you are."

"You're hurt. And even if you weren't, you have to stay or you could lose the control you have over the palace," Katara reminded him. She looked around the ruined courtyard. The torchlight's shadows threw into sharper relief the areas that had seen the worst of Katara's duel with Azula.

"Then we have a problem," Zuko said, hugging his chest with one arm as if just remembering his injury, "Either both of us take Appa and go find them all or we both stay here and wait for them to show up."

"Or I could just knock you out and take Appa myself and be back before you even come around," Katara suggested, a smile playing at her lips.

"There's that," Zuko allowed, "but then I'd be at Azula's mercy and I'd lose the control I have over the palace. You wouldn't just leave me here to fend for myself, would you?"

"Oh, come on, since when have you been helpless without me?" Katara asked, getting slightly annoyed. As if demonstrating her annoyance, she placed both her fists on her hips. "Or don't you remember all those times you tried to capture us? You didn't need my help then, remember?"

"Yeah, but I never won," Zuko pointed out.

"Good point," Katara said quietly. Then she backtracked, "I'm wasting time, I've got to go."

"Okay," Zuko said, turning his back to her and walking slowly towards the palace entrance, "I guess I'll just stay here and bandage myself up."

Katara looked at him. He wasn't using any teasing or sarcastic tones, it seemed like he was just being conversational, but why did he give up that easily?

"What, no more arguments?" Katara called after him after he had already crossed half the courtyard.

"No," he said without turning around, "do what you have to do. I'll wait here in case they come back."

"Zuko…" Katara said. Zuko turned back to her, his arm still hugging his side.

"Don't worry about me, I've got Azula to keep me company. And the Fire Sages. That's about it. Not much to do around here right now until everyone gets back from their banishments."

"Oh, fine!" Katara shouted, throwing her hands in the air, exasperated, "But don't ever say I didn't do anything for you!" She stomped over to Zuko and he smiled mischievously.

"I never said you didn't," he spoke quietly. "Come on, I could use some help with the bandages, it's hard to do with one arm."

Azula screamed unexpectedly, spewing more blue flames.

"Oh, right, I should do something about her," Zuko sighed. Katara looked at him and saw sadness written all over his face.

"I can't imagine how hard it must be for you right now. Your sister has gone insane and your dad could be…"

"They made their own choices. I made mine," Zuko said harshly, but Katara could still hear his unhappiness.

"So what are you going to do about her?" Katara said, eyeing the space behind the pillars where fire was still being shot out of Azula's mouth.

Zuko turned his head thoughtfully.

"There's… a really nice care facility on an island not too far away from here. They have a mental disability wing where she could be watched and cared for."

"No jail sentence?" Katara couldn't help but feel that Azula was getting off easy after everything she had done to all of them.

"I think prison would just be counterproductive at this point," Zuko explained, "It wouldn't be easy for anyone. Can you imagine trying to deliver food through the bars to that?"

They both turned to look at the flames emitting from behind the pillar.

"I wouldn't want that job," Katara admitted halfheartedly as they reached the bottom step of the large staircase. She couldn't help but feel a little guilty now. Azula had been torturing Zuko longer and harder than any of them and if he was able to look past all that for his sister, Katara should be willing to do the same. Even if she was crazy, manipulative and out of control.

"Me neither," Zuko responded as they climbed the stairs. When they reached the top, he turned and sat down, taking off the remains of his shirt and throwing them in a heap behind him. Next to him sat a washrag, a bowl of water, some fresh, white bandages and an open jar of some clear, sticky-looking, yellow substance.

"How did these get here?" Katara asked, staring at the supplies. Without answering, Zuko took the washrag, dipped it into the water and placing the rag on his chest. He winced visibly.

"Cold," he explained when Katara knelt down to examine his chest, worry marking her face. "I went and got them from the hospital wing."

"Oh."

She watched for a while as Zuko continued to clean his burn. Even though Katara had already healed Zuko of the lethal part of his injury, it was still an open and probably painful wound that needed attention. Katara kicked herself for not thinking of helping Zuko earlier and trying to run off and leave him.

After she felt his burn had been thoroughly cleaned, she took the rag from him and instructed him to lie down. Zuko obliged without a word, leaning his head back onto the hard gray brick, his knees still bent and his feet resting on the step below. Katara bent half of the water in he bowl over Zuko's lesion and closed her eyes, focusing her energies and attention on healing. The familiar glow of her healing powers shone through her eyelids and she couldn't help but open them to gaze at the bright, misty water that was now working it's magic over Zuko's fresh burn.

"I wish I still had some of that Spirit Water from the Oasis," Katara said, staring at the burn that, even after all the healing, was still very prominent on Zuko's pale chest. Zuko smiled sadly and said, "It probably wouldn't work anyway."

"But still, I could try."

"You used the last of it on Aang's burn and it's still there. If it didn't work for the Avatar, it probably wouldn't work for me."

"Okay, okay," Katara said impatiently and sinking back into silence.

After a few moments, Zuko spoke, "You know, I haven't been in this courtyard since my dad's coronation."

"How long has that been?"

"Since I was ten," Zuko said, matter-of-factly.

"That long? What, you had better things to do than walk through here?"

"It's a palace, not an apartment. There's more than one way to get out of here and this way is the long way around."

"More courtyard exits?" Katara asked.

"Definitely. Only this one's more elaborate, since it's the coronation courtyard. It has to look impressive."

"Will your coronation be here?" Katara asked, sliding a hand under Zuko's back to signal that it was time for him to sit up again. He did so, wincing at the effort his stomach muscles were putting in to get this simple task done. Katara tried to help as much as she could without embarrassing Zuko, but enough that he wouldn't hurt himself more.

"Maybe," Zuko answered for the previous question. "I might break from tradition, though. This courtyard isn't my favorite one."

"What's this?" Katara asked, picking up the open jar of goo and peering inside.

"Burn ointment," Zuko explained. "It's supposed to help cool the skin."

"Does it work?" Katara asked, sticking her fingers in the jar to scoop some out. It was the consistency of thick, day-old stew. She gently spread the clear, yellow jelly across Zuko's chest scar and he sighed.

"Not really, but it feels good when it's first put on. It sort of feels like it's sucking the heat out of the burn. But then it just becomes hot sludge that takes a long time to clean off."

"Maybe we shouldn't use it if it's not doing any good," Katara said, withdrawing her hand from Zuko's chest. She could already tell what Zuko was talking about. Her fingers felt like they had sticky slime all over them.

"Nah, it helps keep out infection, it's good. I hated when I had to put it on my face. I got it in my eye all the time." Zuko said. Katara glanced at him. He had never really mentioned his scar. Of course, it was his most easily identifiable attribute and they had discussed it briefly in the Ba Sing Se catacombs, but other than that, the subject of the scar on Zuko's face rarely came up.

"You never told me what happened… with that…" Katara finished lamely. After she said it, she wished she hadn't. It was Zuko's business, not hers. Zuko's face became dark as he frowned and for a moment, old, angry Zuko was back.

"I'm sorry, you don't have to say--"

"No," Zuko said. His face went from dark, to sad. "It's okay. Let's just say that I'd be less forgiving of my dad than Azula." Katara gaped at Zuko.

"Your dad did that to you? How could he?" Katara stammered, appalled.

"Easily," Zuko replied bitterly. "All he has to do is think of himself and everyone else get's pushed to the side, family included. My face is the first example. For more, check through the modern history books. The entire Fire Nation and, more specifically, my grandfather, my uncle, my mom, Azula and I all had to pay for my dad's choices."

Katara wiped her hands on her hips and grabbed the bandage. She put the end on Zuko's side and told him to hold it there while she wrapped it around his chest and shoulder. She worked in silence and Zuko said nothing more, lost in his own thoughts. Azula sat silent in the far corner. Katara wondered if she had fallen asleep.

"Look…" Zuko said, staring out over the large gate. Katara squinted. It was dark out beyond the courtyard that was still dimly lit by the torches hanging off of the wall brackets.

"I can't see…" Katara faltered, because at that moment, she did see, in the distance, a small speck illuminated by the glow of the moon.

"It's an airship," Zuko said, standing up suddenly. Katara lost her grip on the bandage and it unraveled. Zuko shrugged it off, suddenly all business. "Let's go get Appa and see what they want."

As if on cue, Appa suddenly lifted off from the ground, flying towards the airship.

"Appa!" Katara shouted after him, jumping down the stairs. "No! Don't go over there!"

"Katara, Appa's not some dumb animal. He knows enough to stay away from danger."

"Then why is he flying towards a giant, Fire Nation airship?" Katara shouted back desperately to Zuko. Just a moment ago, he acted like it was completely urgent for action, but now he looked relaxed. What was wrong with him?

"Maybe because he knows there's no danger in going to that ship," Zuko explained as if hinting something to Katara. At first she didn't understand, but then suddenly it dawned on her.

"You think it's Sokka?" she asked excitedly.

"I know it's Sokka. Flying an airship this close to the main island is against regulation. No one would do it unless they didn't know about the regulation in the first place."

Katara was suddenly overwhelmed with euphoria. Sokka was okay! She hoped the others were with him. They had planned to help Aang, maybe he was with them too! Katara couldn't help but let a few tears escape down her cheeks. She was so relieved.

Without warning, the airship started losing altitude.

"What's happening?" Katara asked Zuko, "Are they crashing?"

"They're landing. They probably saw Appa and decided to travel on him. He's a little easier to land in this courtyard than a giant airship."

A few minutes went by after Katara and Zuko lost sight of the airship before Appa re-entered the sky. Katara squinted in order to count the number of bodies she could see riding on Appa. She counted three in Appa's saddle, meaning another had to be riding on his head to steer the giant bison. They were all here, they were all okay! Katara couldn't help but rush to Zuko and hug him.

"Ouch," he complained, but he hugged her back and she sensed he was as relieved as she was.

A few more minutes went by as Appa's form steadily grew closer and Katara was still hugging Zuko when Appa growled happily as he landed in the center of the courtyard. Now that they were in the torchlight, Katara could see all of the forms clearly. Aang was riding on Appa's head, just letting go of the reigns and leaning back on Appa's humped back in exhaustion. But he was smiling. Suki and Toph stood up and pulled Sokka to his feet.

"Sokka! Aang! Toph! Suki!" Katara shouted, running towards them. Aang was the first to reach her. He gave her a tight hug.

"I'm sorry for leaving," he mumbled into her ear.

"It's okay, you're safe," Katara said back. She looked past Aang and noticed that Toph had bent a pillar of earth level to Appa's saddle and she and Suki were both supporting Sokka between them.

"Sokka, what happened?" Katara shouted, running over as the pillar lowered to ground-level and she saw Sokka leaning on Suki, putting no weight on his leg.

"Broken," Suki explained.

"Yeah, his foot was introduced to a lot of metal," Toph said.

"Where is everyone?" Sokka asked, looking around as if oblivious to his injured leg.

"Banished," Zuko said dryly, approaching the reuniting gang, his limp a little less noticeable after Katara's healing session.

"What?" Aang shouted incredulously. Zuko raised both hands in front of himself.

"Not by me. Azula got a little power-hungry. But it's okay, we've got her in check now," he gestured with his head over to where Azula was still crouched. She hadn't even bothered to look up and see the newcomers as they all stared at her. Katara wondered if she really was sleeping, or just stubborn.

"And what happened to you?" Suki asked, using her free hand to point to Zuko's stomach.

Zuko shrugged. "Azula," he answered simply.

"He's being modest," Katara said, giving Zuko a playful shove, "Azula tried to shoot me with lightning and Zuko jumped in the way."

This revelation was met by a shocked silence.

Again, Zuko shrugged, "Can't have a war without a few casualties."

"Unfortunately," Sokka grumbled.

"Come on, let's go sit on the stairs, you shouldn't be on your leg, Sokka," Zuko said, gesturing for them to follow him to the stairs, but stopped when he heard a groan issue from Appa's saddle.

"What was that?" he asked.

Aang shifted uncomfortably. "It's kind of your dad."

"Kind of?" Zuko rumbled angrily and Azula looked up from her spot on the floor, her face as shocked as Zuko sounded. "You mean he's still 'kind of' alive? What happened to defeating the Firelord?"

"I did defeat him," Aang said, "but I didn't have to kill him to do it."

"Then how did you do it?"

"You don't want to go there, trust me. It'll just weird you out even more," Sokka said as he limped, with the aid of Suki, closer to the staircase.

"Aang took his bending away," Toph explained, leaning against Appa's side, completely unperturbed by the fact that she was yards away from the most terrible man in the world.

"Took his… bending away?" Zuko asked, wrapping his mind around this information. He heard Azula gasp and he knew they were both thinking the same thing. He couldn't imagine his father without his bending. Ozai's firebending was his life, his persona. And now it was gone.

"How did he do that?" Katara asked.

"Don't ask me, I didn't see a thing," Toph answered. "According to Sokka, it involved a lot of glowing."

"Come on, I don't want him near Appa anymore," Aang said, walking to Toph and raising them both up on an earth platform again. They both crawled into Appa's saddle. There were shuffling sounds from Aang and Toph and grunting from Ozai until all three of them reappeared on the platform and it was lowered back down.

Zuko gazed at his father's limp figure, supported between Aang and Toph. His feet dragged on the ground as he was brought closer to Zuko. His head was bowed from weakness.

"Dad!" Azula shouted, "Dad, help me!" She wrestled with her chains again and let out a cry of frustration. "Daddy, help!"

Ozai raised his head to glare at Azula.

"I leave you in charge and this what I find coming back?" he said to Azula. "You shame me."

"You shame yourself," Zuko said as Azula cried out again. Zuko winced at the noise. It was the sound of someone who had truly broken. All Ozai had ever done was cause misery to those who loved him. As much as Zuko felt hurt from what his father had done to him, he couldn't help but feel angry on Azula's behalf as well. She of the two of them had embraced their father's composed insanity with all her being. That alone had driven her to this low. She was just as much a victim of her father as he was.

"What should we do with him?" Aang asked.

"Kill him," Zuko said angrily.

"No," Aang said firmly, "killing him now wouldn't do anything except cause more death."

"Maybe he deserves it," Zuko said, his eyes shooting pure hatred at Ozai, who glared back defiantly.

"You would regret it later," Aang said wisely, adjusting Ozai's weight. "Maybe there's a place we can put him to keep him in check."

"The Boiling Rock!" Sokka shouted from across the courtyard.

"No, I want him nearby so I can keep an eye on him myself," Zuko said. He sighed. The answer was obvious. "We'll put him in the prison near here. He'll be nearby, in check and alive. Everyone's happy."

Aang nodded in agreement. "Where is the prison again?"

"I'll take him," Zuko said, walking to Aang, Toph and Ozai and relieving the first two of the latter's weight, taking it on himself, "While I'm there, I'll let out the prisoners of war. It's time we put things straight."

Without another word, Zuko turned and left the courtyard, dragging his father's nearly-lifeless body alongside him up the night-darkened pathway to the prison. As he reached the hill, he slowed down. He wished he'd had Katara finish bandaging his chest wound, because now it was throbbing with the strain of Ozai's weight. But Zuko accepted it. In a way, he felt a reverence in the discomfort. It had taken him a lifetime of pain to pull through all the obstacles Ozai has placed in front of him. It seemed rewarding to know that now the pain was a symbol of the good that Zuko had done and that his father was here to witness his panting and struggling to do something that was right.

Nothing was spoken between the two of them and after a while, Zuko wondered if Ozai was being deliberately unhelpful by not supporting his own weight. But he didn't mind, the prison was close and then his father would be locked away, paying the price for his evil, one slow day at a time. It wouldn't hurt too much to show Ozai that his years of suppressing his son hadn't paid off and in fact, had backfired on him.

To Zuko's mild astonishment, he saw several guards at the prison, walking back and forth from the watchtower. He thought Azula had banished everyone within five miles of the palace, but apparently she saw fit to keep an eye on the prisoners. Good.

One guard noticed Zuko and Ozai approaching in the torchlight and said "Who's there?"

"It's me, Firelord Zuko," Zuko called back, using his new title officially, for the first time. How fitting Ozai was here to hear it. "I've got a prisoner, unlock the door."

The guard disappeared and then the large door that was the entrance to the prison opened up to reveal a female guard.

"Firelord Zuko, it's an honor to meet you," she said, bowing. Zuko stared at her. He had half-expected the guards to attack him and help his father. Instead, this woman greeted him almost as if she had predicted this would be a future scenario.

"Hello," Zuko said, shifting Ozai's weight.

"How is General Iroh?" the guard asked.

"Wha… you know my uncle?"

"Of course, he was our honored guest here for weeks, until he escaped," the guard laughed as if enjoying a private joke, "Forgive me, Highness, my name is Ming and I consider your uncle a dear friend."

"Oh, thank you," Zuko said, "he's fine." He hoped it was true. Ozai moved a little to relieve the strain on the arm Zuko was holding up. Zuko responded to the shifting by re-shifting Ozai's weight. "Can you please help, he's getting a little heavy."

Ming walked over to Ozai's free side and pulled his arm over her shoulders, lifting him high as to relieve Zuko of most of the weight. Obviously her years as a prison guard had toughened this strong woman up.

"Is the cell my uncle broke out of--"

"Fixed? Yes, it's fixed," Ming answered.

"I'd like for my father to be put in that cell then, please."

"Of course," Ming said, unabashed. Together, she and Zuko carried Ozai down the familiar darkened halls of the prison until they reached the door that Zuko had entered through many times, seeking guidance and wisdom from the man who was his father by heart. Now his father by blood would be behind the door forever.

After Ozai was placed in the cell and locked, Zuko turned to Ming, "Please leave us."

"Of course," she said, turning to leave.

Suddenly, Zuko remembered, "Please, release all the prisoners of war and send a messenger hawk to the Boiling Rock to do the same. And extend an invitation for all of them to stay in the royal palace."

"Of course, Highness," Ming said and then left.

Zuko stared at Ozai, who was staring back. Neither spoke. Zuko had so many questions for his father and they were all buzzing around in his head like angry hornet-wasps. He opened his mouth to start his first question but then stopped. Now was not the time. Zuko wanted so badly to know the things he'd been craving to know for years. He was so close now, but he knew he had to wait. If he asked where his mother was, he knew he would leave as soon as he got an answer and search the world over for her until he found her, or at least, found out what happened to her. But the Fire Nation needed him now. He couldn't leave, not yet. But soon. As soon as things were settled, he would come back and ask what he needed to know.

Wordlessly, he turned on his heel and walked through the threshold, lost in his thoughts as he had been so many times before when leaving this very same room after visiting Iroh. Ozai didn't bother stopping his son, just as his brother hadn't. He knew Zuko would be back.

--

Be kind, I haven't written much in a while! But I'm eager to hear what people think of my first-ever Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfic!


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